Lost and Found
by PookieS
Summary: A fugitive a conman and a doctor.All brought together by fate,for reasons unknown.Now they must face their past and move on with their future.An after island story based on the S3 finale flash forward.
1. All's fair in love and war

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

This story is set the day after Jack's flash forward. It's set after the island, but will have flashbacks from the island. The first couple chapters are kind of dark, but it will get lighter as the story progresses. It starts out Sawyer/Kate, but will probably end up Jack/Kate. There's a lot of Skate in the beginning, so people who like them together may like this too.

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_Click._

My gaze jumped to the door next to me. The handle turned, and my body tensed. A man walked through the door, talking on a cell phone, and I relaxed again, letting my head fall back against the wall behind me.

The man continued forward down the long hallway, then started down a flight of stairs.

I sighed and returned my gaze to the closed door. I was positioned on the left of it, so when it opened it would narrowly miss hitting me. But, the person on the other side wouldn't be able to see me until after they had already come through the opening.

Standing there in the quiet, my thoughts drifted to Kate. They seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

_The day we had gotten rescued, when the plane landed, it had taken all of three minutes for the reporters and cop cars to swarm into the airport._

_My first thought was of getting Kate out of there as fast as possible. If the cops found her she would be sentenced to life, which was something that I couldn't stand._

"_Let's go Freckles." Sawyer said grabbing Kate's arm. "I f you don't get out of here in the next five minutes, you'll be spending the next forty years in a cell next to a biker chick covered in tatoos."_

"_Kate!" I called, running over to them. "Take this and get the hell out of here." I said handing her a check._

"_What?" she stared down at the numbers and shook her head. "I can't take this..."_

_I should have known that she would fight me on the money, she fought me on absolutely everything else. But I needed her to take it, if I couldn't protect her myself, I had to at least give her something to ensure she wouldn't starve to death._

"_Yes, you can. Kate you have to go, they're already looking for you." I said, motioning to the cops searching the airport._

_She looked where I was pointing, and I could see panic in her eyes. I sighed in frustration. She definitely wasn't the hardened criminal type that she used to be. The months on the island had changed her. They had changed her for the better, or so I thought. But now... she didn't seem to care about being caught, being put in jail. For once she was actually standing still._

_The she turned, and I caught sight of the old Kate in her eyes. All of her walls had been put back up, and her old stubborn determination was back. I could see her hesitate and consider something. Then out of nowhere, she threw her arms around my neck, burying her head under my chin._

"_Promise me you won't come looking for me." she whispered, her lips brushing my ear._

_I pulled her closer, holding her tight to my chest. I didn't want to let go, because I knew if I did she would be gone, running away like she always did.. And I'd be alone. Again._

_She backed away from me and stared me straight in the eye. "Promise me."_

_She knew me too well. She would make me promise her, make me say the words out loud, because she knew if I didn't I would never let go._

_I swallowed hard and looked up, my eyes finding hers. We stayed like that for a long time, neither of us wanting to be the one to look away. I saw Sawyer shift uncomfortably out of the corner of my eye. _

"_I promise." I said softly, my pain evident in my voice._

_I saw a flicker of disappointment briefly cross her face, so fast that it left me doubting whether of not I had really seen it at all. Then she backed away from me, sneaking a skittish glance at the cops over her shoulder._

_Sawyer reached over to grip her shoulder and she nodded at him in silent understanding. Then, just like that, she was off and running across the airport. She turned her head to look at me briefly, and I could see deep regret etched across her features. Then, she disappeared. With him._

I heard the sound of footsteps coming from the other side of the door, and I straightened my eyes returning to the door once again. The knob turned and a petite woman walked through, looking straight ahead. She was wearing faded jeans and an emerald green tank top. Her dark brown curls tumbled down her back, bouncing as she walked.

Kate.

I moved away from the wall and started forward, grabbing hold of her elbow. She whipped around, fear flashing in her eyes. Then she blinked, her eyes scanning my face.

"Jack?" she said uncertainly

She took a step back and crossed her arms over her chest.

"You stalking me now?" she asked, anger slipping into her voice.

Was I? I barely knew right from left these days.

"I just want to talk to you..." I said, my voice slurring slightly.

"You're drunk." she said, with a mixture of concern and disgust in her voice.

Damn. She wasn't supposed to know I was drunk. Why did I have to drink before I came, anyway? Why had I come at all?

I started forward, but stumbled slightly. The concern must have won out because Kate moved forward and put her hand on my arm, steadying me.

I wasn't used to Kate having to hold me up. Normally I was the strong one. On the island I was the hero, everyone expected me to be. They didn't know I was I failure there, but now, Kate knew. I was nothing but a pathetic drunk.

"How did you know I was drunk, I thought I hid it so well." I said sarcastically.

She gave a soft, bitter laugh.

"When you spend most of your life cleaning up after a drunk, you start to be able spot them pretty easily."

I looked up sharply. Kate lived with a drunk too? Huh. Of all the things that I thought had happened to her that had never crossed my mind. Maybe we really weren't that different after all.

"Yeah..." I said, my gaze catching hers. "You do."

She just stared at me for a few seconds, understanding flickering in her eyes. Then she broke my gaze and said softly "Let's get you home."

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"You promised me that you wouldn't come looking for me." I said softly, then winced. Why did I always have to bring such sensitive topics?

We had just gotten in my car, with me at the wheel and Jack at the passenger side.

He glanced over at me, a small smile on his lips.

"I didn't think you meant it." he said, echoing my words from the island.

I clenched my jaw and threw my car into gear, starting across the parking lot. I wasn't quite sure if I had meant what I'd said either. All that I knew was that I destroyed everything I touched, and I didn't want to hurt him. Hell, that had gotten me real far. After everything with Sawyer, I had managed to break him without even trying. I could only imagine the damage I could do to him now.

"Turn here." Jack said, pointing to the left.

I blinked, startled .I'd almost forgottenhe was with me. I turned down a narrow street and turned into the awaiting parking lot.Jack opened the door and stepped out.

"Thanks for the ride." he said, stumbling slightly.

I felt a pang in my chest watching him. He was so different then from what he was on the island. I was used to seeing the Jack who was strong and ready to save the world. The Jack that was always there, saying everything would be okay. But now... it was if as soon as we left the island we'd all returned to the people that we used to be. We couldn't pull together and help each other. All we had was ourselves, and that sure as hell wasn't enough.

I watched him walk up the steps and at the last second called out "Jack, wait!"

He was too far away to hear me, and I watched as his front door closed behind him, leaving me once again alone in my car, wishing for more things that I could never have.

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"I think Jack should move in with us."

I winced. Once again, I just had to bring up the sensitive subjects.

I was laying on the bed in the room I shared with Sawyer, dressed in pajamas. He was currently pulling a shirt over his head, but he stopped with it half on to stare at me.

"Come again?"

I sighed and sat up. I had been thinking about this all night, I had absolutely tortured myself thinking about this.

"He's screwed up, Sawyer. He's drinking, he's doing drugs, and only God knows what else."

Sawyer nodded. "I definitely see how this is our problem."

I glared at him. I should have known he would react like that. I had kind of brought this up out of thin air, even though Sawyer did know about Jack's drinking.

"How can you act like that? He's our friend! What if you were him?"

"Well it's a good thing I'm not him, isn't it?" he retorted, heading to the bedroom door.

I jumped off the bed and grabbed his arm, forcing him to look me in the eye. I stared right into them, trying to read him.

"What are you afraid is going to happen if he moves in here?" I asked, my eyes boring into his.

He held my gaze for entirely too long, not saying anything.

I stepped away, completely taken aback. He was scared I would wind up with Jack. Nice to know we had a mutual trust going on here.

He turned toward the door, leaving me confused and upset behind him.

"You want him to move in here, fine. Do whatever the hell you want, but don't expect me to like it!" he snapped.

He stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut in my face on his way.

Review please!


	2. The first cut is the deepest

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

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I rolled over for the hundredth time that night. No matter what way I turned, I could not get to sleep. Sawyer had gone to sleep in the guest bedroom next door, an had left me here alone, hence the reason I was still awake. With a sigh of frustration, I jumped up, grabbed my pillow, and walked out of the room.

I headed down the hallway that led to the guest room. When I got to the doorway, I paused, watching Sawyer sleep. He was sprawled out across the bed, his head thrown into the middle of the pillow, with one arm slung across the top of it. Then I moved into the room and slid quietly onto the bed. Sawyer rolled over and opening one eye, said "What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't sleep."I said softly, avoiding his gaze. I knew that even though he was mad at me, he'd still let me stay.

He grunted unconvincingly and, frowning, wrapped his arms around me. I curled up next to him, resting my head on his shoulder and closing my eyes. On the island I would stay away from this kind of comfort, but here... here I needed something, someone to hang onto. Otherwise... otherwise I'd end up just like Jack.

"I'm sorry" I said softly.

He let out a long sigh and moved his arm. Once again, I couldn't just let things go. I had to push.

"Sawyer..."

I grabbed his arm, and he looked back at me, still frowning .I needed him to understand why I wanted Jack here. Even if I didn't quite understand it myself.

"Why do you want to help him so bad?"he asked

I squared my jaw and looked over at him, tears blurring my vision.

"Because he needs us, Sawyer! He doesn't have anyone else. This isn't the Jack we know." I gritted my teeth and moved so our gazes were level. Jack had saved all of us more than once, and I knew that even if Sawyer refused to admit it, he cared about Jack too.

"When we were on that island he was the only thing that kept us alive. I am not going to abandon him now!"

Sawyer nodded slowly, his eyes searching my face. I could tell he was seriously considering what I said.

"Okay." he said roughly "He can stay."

I closed my eyes and fell back against the pillows, relief washing over me. Jack wouldn't have to be alone anymore. I knew for a fact that loneliness could do more damage than anything else.

Sawyer laid down next to me and once again pulled me against him.

"Go to sleep." he murmured softly into my hair. I curled up against him and closed my eyes, finally letting sleep overtake me.

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"Hey Freckles, what's our email password?" Sawyer called out from the next room.

"I don't know... check the forgotten password box." I called back.

It was 8:00 in the morning and I was sitting at our kitchen table reading the newspaper and drinking a cup of coffee. God, I had missed coffee on the island.

"Oh, great, listen to this, Freckles, it'll email it to me. Veeeery helpful."

I grinned and got up, grabbing my car keys. He could be the most amusing person in the world, then turn around and annoy the hell out of me all within two seconds.

I passed him on my way out the door. He glanced at the keys in my hands.

"You going to Doc's already?" he asked.

I shrugged uncomfortably. "Figured I'd catch him before he left."

He gave a short laugh and said "The man's an alcoholic, I highly doubt he woke up at five to go on his daily run and is now on his way to the supermarket."

I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him. As I said, amusing one second, a jerk the next.

"Sorry." he said, smirking.

I rolled my eyes and opened the door, stepping onto the front porch. I knew for a fact he had said that just to bug me. With a sigh I headed down the stairs and walked towards my car.

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I reached his house about fifteen minutes later and parked in his driveway. I just sat there for a few minutes, staring up at his house. It looked like it hadn't seen a lawnmower in months .I sighed and stepped out of the car. There was absolutely no sign of life from inside the house. I knocked on the door and stood there, waiting. After a few seconds a gruff voice called out

"Come in!"

I raised my eyebrow and put my hands on my hips, staying right where I was.

"You know I could be a robber.." I called, amused.

I heard shuffling from inside and Jack's roughed up form appeared on the other side of the door. He squinted at me then moved to open the door, but I grabbed the handle and let myself in.

"What are you doing here?" he asked groggily, having obviously just woken up.

I cast my eyes around his house, which was a complete mess. There were papers all over the floor, with empty beer bottles scattered everywhere.

I raised one eyebrow at him "Nice house."

He rubbed his eyes with one hand. "What are you doing here?" he repeated.

Now I really felt wanted.

"I am here because I have a proposition for you."

That seemed to get his attention.

"You're coming to live with Sawyer and me."

"What?" he said "Kate... first of all that isn't even a proposition..."

"No arguing. Either you can willingly agree to come with us or we'll kidnap you in the middle of the night and do whatever we damn well please with you." I said, smirking at him.

"Nice to know I have a choice in the matter." he said, lowering himself to a horribly stained couch next to him.

I smirked, for once I could actually see a small smile on his face. I wasn't willing to imagine how long it had been since he actually really smiled.

"There is one more thing..." I said, hesitantly. I wasn't sure how he would react to this catch.

He groaned. "What?"

"You have two days to at least try to get your life together. No drinking, no drugs."

He stared at me, giving me a look that said he thought I was crazy. I got down on her knees so that I was level with his eyes and said softly "All you have to do is try... it's just two days of withdrawal by yourself. Then you'll have someone to help you."

I could see doubt and pain in his eyes that he was desperately trying to hide from me.

"And how am I supposed to get through those first two days?" he asked softly.

I felt a pang in my chest at how broken he looked. I immediately thought of the chain around my neck. I hesitated, not sure if I was willing to let him know how much one object meant to me. I looked up, my eyes catching his. The pure desperation in them convinced me. He needed this a hell of a lot more than I did.

Slowly I reached up, un-clipping the chain's clasp. The object on the end of the chain slid down my neck and into my waiting hand.

The key.

He'd given that to me the night before they had gotten rescued.

"_What are you doing?" He asked, coming up behind me . I jumped at the sound of his voice and looked at him in surprise. We had kind of been avoiding each other like the plague these days. Ever since... ever since everything happened all at once._

"_Watching the sunset." I said finally, lifting my chin in that direction. I smiled and looked over at him. "That's one of the only things that I'm going to miss about this place..." I said softly._

_He nodded in agreement. I knew for a fact that if there were no Others, no polar bears, no Dharma, then half of the people here would stay on the island._

"_The boat should be here tomorrow_._" Jack said, bringing my mind back to our conversation._

"_Yeah..." I said, giving him a small smile. Then my face turned serious. "I'll miss you, Jack."_

_Our gazes collided, and I tried to block out my emotions. I was never good at goodbyes, especially ones that meant this much._

"_What makes you think you won't see me again?" he asked softly._

_I glanced over at him "Because no matter what I say or do, I'm going to jail."_

_Something unspoken passed between us, and I looked away quickly, not wanting him to see the pain in my eyes._

_He reached around his neck and un-clipped the chain there, handing it ti me. I stared at him for a few seconds before shakily reaching over to take it from him. The day he'd taken it from me was the day when I'd completely broken any trust he had in me, and now by giving it back he was giving me a hell of a lot more than a necklace._

"_It's a little late... but, it's something to remember me by_." _he said softly. _

"_Yeah..." I whispered, catching his gaze. A tear slid down my cheek. "Thanks ,Jack."_

I handed the key to him.

"I just wear it..." I trailed off, not looking at him. "I guess it's a security thing." I said, giving him a small smile.

I looked up and into his eyes and could immediately tell that he knew I was lying. But, he would play along because he was Jack.

"Yeah.." he said softly, running hi thumb over it. "Thanks."

I shrugged "It might help."

He looked up and gave the first genuine smile I'd seen since I'd met him at the airport.

"I'm coming back in two days to pick you up, so be ready." I added, walking out the door. When I was halfway down the driveway I turned around.

"Jack!"

"Yeah?"

"Shave that beard off or you're not coming anywhere near me."

Then I jumped in my car and sped off down the road.

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_Ding_

"Who could that be?" He asked, looking up from the T.V.

"I have no idea." I answered from the bedroom. "Could you get it?"

"Yeah, I'm coming, I'm coming." he said, getting up off of the couch and walking to the front door.

He opened the door and had to grab hold of the coat rack next to me to keep from falling over backwards. The woman in front of him was someone he'd thought he'd never, ever see again.

"What... what the hell are you doing here?!" he sputtered "How did you find me?"

"Relax." the woman said, rolling her eyes at him and smirking. He obviously hadn't changed at all. "I'm not here for you. I came here to see Kate."

That really seemed to throw him. His eyebrows shot skyward and he stared at her with an expression she'd never seen before. Protectiveness. Huh, maybe he had changed after all.

"Kate? You leave her out of this! If you want revenge or..."

"Sawyer? Who was at the door?" I interrupted, stepping into the room. I blinked, staring at the woman in front of me. Of all the places I had expected to see her again, here was not one of them.

"Cassy?" I asked "What are you doing here?"

Sawyer whipped around to stare at me. "You know her?!"

"Yeah..." I said giving him a strange look, wondering why that bothered him so much. "What's going on? Sawyer, what's wrong with you?"

"Oh, don't mind him." Cassy said from the doorway "He's just freaking out because he doesn't want you to meet the mother of his child."

That shut them both up.

Heeheehee

review and tell me if you like this format/version better.

For a few chapters this will have equal amounts of Skate/Jate, but will definitely end up Jate

next chapters: Jack moves in (Jack/Kate/Sawyer/Cassy all in one house... yeah, that won't cause any problems...)


	3. Who's conning who?

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Ok I'm going to start labeling pov's because the new characters are making this really confusing.

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Kate POV

I froze and turned to stare at her.

Did she just say Sawyer was the mother of her child? Sawyer... he was the one who had conned her... and then left her with their unborn child? Sawyer.

Cassy's voice interrupted my thinking.

"I came here to talk to Kate." she said evenly, looking over at me.

"Yeah, well, I don't think that's such a good idea." Sawyer said from across the room, his voice almost a growl.

"I do." I said, briefly meeting his eyes. I blinked, surprised at what I saw there. Fear.

"Kate." he said softly, stepping forward.

"Don't." I said, grabbing Cassy's arm and pulling her towards the living room.

I saw hurt register briefly in Sawyer's eyes before he turned away and walked into the bedroom.

I motioned for Cassy to sit down on the couch next to me. She smiled and accepted, just in time to hear the heavy wooden door to our bedroom slam shut behind Sawyer. I flinched. I didn't want to fight with Sawyer, I didn't want him to think I hated him. But still... I was absolutely nowhere near processing this. I was completely torn between the Sawyer I knew and the Sawyer that had broken Cassy's heart. Could he have really changed that much? I just needed... time. Time... and then I had no idea what would happen next.

"How have you been?." Cassy asked softly.

"Besides the freak plane crash and constantly running from the law, I've been great." I said, giving her a small smile.

She laughed.

"So why are you really here Cassy?" I asked, figuring she didn't come all this way for small talk.

"I came to warn you." she said, her face serious.

"Warn me about what?" I asked, confused.

"About the fact that Sawyer's conning you."

I raised an eyebrow at her "What?"

"Sawyer's conning you."

I shook my head. "Cassy... I know what Sawyer did to you... but you have no idea what we've been through..."

"And you have no idea what kind of person he used to be." she interrupted.

I sighed and rubbed my temples. If the only reason Cassy had come out here was to turn me against Sawyer, then she'd wasted a trip.

"How did you find us? How did you even know we were together?" I asked

She raised her eyebrows. "You don't watch much t.v. do you?"

I shook my head slowly, wondering where this could possibly be going.

She smiled. "You should how many stories are going around about how 'the fugitive and the con-man are on the run together.' "

I groaned. "Look, Cas, you haven't seen Sawyer in years, you weren't on that island with us..." I shook my head. She had no idea...

"A tiger don't change its stripes, Kate" she said softly, glancing at me. "How do you know he's not faking? How do you know he's not playing you for all you're worth?" she smiled knowingly "Let me guess... he told you he loved you didn't he?"

I blinked, and she gave me another knowing smile.

"Cas, no one could fake emotions on that island." I closed my eyes, remembering. "People were trying to kill us, everyday. We never knew what the hell was going on. All we had was each other, everyone had a breaking point there. Everyone got scared, everyone made mistakes. But no matter what, you knew you could count on people, you couldn't afford not to." I smiled faintly "Live together, die alone."

She furred her brows questioningly, but didn't ask.

"Guess I wasted a trip, then." she said, getting up off of the couch. She turned and offered me a small smile. "Maybe he is different, Kate, I don't know. But if he really did change, I'd like to know how the hell you managed to get him to."

I smiled back, wishing I knew.

"Cas, wait." I said "You could stay here for a few days before you go back. We have an extra room... It'll give us a chance to catch up."

She laughed, her eyes moving to the bedroom door. "I don't think he'd appreciate that too much."

I sighed "Sawyer needs to take responsibility for his actions. He's not going to throw the mother of his child out of his life without a second glance." I looked up and caught her eye. "And I take it that the two of you have something you need to talk about." I said, giving her an understanding smile.

"Okay" she said, giving me a grateful smile. "I'll stay."

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Jack POV

I was in hell, absolute hell. There was not a single part of my body that didn't hurt, or, if there was, I couldn't tell. My head was pounding and I couldn't take anything to stop it because I was trying to quit using drugs to solve my problems.

I groaned and reached for the clock lying next to me, wanting to see how many hours had gone by.

Five minutes.

There was no way in hell I was going to survive this.

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Kate POV

"Sawyer would you please get out here?" I yelled at the closed bedroom door.

It whipped open, startling me, and I jumped back with a gasp.

"What?!"

I closed my eyes, waiting for my racing heartbeat to return to normal.

"Would you come out here so I can talk to you?" I asked, annoyed.

With a sigh he stepped out of the bedroom. Glaring at me he asked "And what can I do you for?"

I hesitated, but figured my best bet was just telling him what was going on and not giving him a choice.

"Cassy's staying here for a few days." I said evenly.

"Come again?" Sawyer said, his eyebrows raised.

I rolled my eyes. "You heard exactly what I said, Sawyer."

"And what the hell makes you think that I'd agree to that?"

"I'm not asking your permission." I said glaring at him. Then, in a softer tone, I said "she's the mother of your child Sawyer, I'm not going to let you abandon her."

"Oh, great, so I'm just expected to bunk with her _and_ Dr. Giggles for the next week?"he asked, throwing himself down on the couch. Then his gaze drifted back up to me. "How do you even know her anyway?"

Before I could say anything Cassy walked back into the room from the bathroom. Saved by the bell.

She glanced coldly at Sawyer before moving to the door to find her purse.

As she left, I looked at Sawyer, surprised at the emotions on his face. I saw pain, deep regret, and something else I didn't want to put a name to. He must have felt my gaze because he looked back at me and his face went immediately blank.

Then he stood up and walked back into the bedroom, glaring at me on his way. He closed the door behind him, leaving me wondering what the hell had really happened to him and Cassy.

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Kate POV

I was lying next to Sawyer on our bed, both of us on opposite sides. We were both on our backs, staring up at the ceiling. He hadn't said a word to me all night, and because of this, I hadn't talked to him either.

"You lied to me." I said softly.

"What?" Sawyer asked. He sounded beyond irritated.

"When we played I Never on the island."

"When did I lie to you, Kate?" he said tiredly, anger slipping into his voice.

I didn't say anything for a few minutes, then turned to look at him and said

"When you told me you've never been in love."

He turned to stare at me for a few seconds before he rolled on his side, completely shutting me out.

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Drop a review if you get the chance!

Oh, yeah, and if anyone knows the age of Sawyer's daughter, could you leave it in a review or something? I have no idea how old she is and I need to know for upcoming chapters. Thanks.


	4. Hit the road Jack

Disclaimer: I'm eating cold pizza for breakfast, do you really think I own Lost?

Sorry for the lack of updates, I've only been home for four days in the past two weeks.

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Kate POV

I poured coffee beans into the grinder and jumped up onto the counter top, absentmindedly playing with the crumbs there.

"Morning." Cassy said, walking into the kitchen.

"Morning" I said tiredly "Want coffee?"

"Yeah, sure." she said, glancing around uncertainly.

"Here." I said, jumping off the counter and getting a cup out of the cabinet.

She took it and glanced around the kitchen.

"Where's Sawyer?"

I smiled faintly "Somewhere where he doesn't have to talk to me."

She gave me a sympathetic smile.

"Kate, if this is because of me I'll leave." she said "I don't want to cause problems."

I shook my head "I want you here."

"Okay..." she said, still sounding unconvinced.

I glanced down at my watch and winced. I was late, again.

"What?" Cassy asked, noticing the face I made.

"I have to get Jack." I said, reaching for my keys.

"He's the surgeon, right?"

"Yeah.." I said softly. A surgeon with drug problems... but she didn't have to know that. Not yet, anyway.

"I don't know if I said anything, but he's going to stay here for a little while too." I said, glancing over at her. This was definitely an interesting arraignment.

She glanced over at me. "Seriously?"

"Yeah... sorry I didn't mention it before. I was kind of in my own little world. I hope it isn't a problem."

"Oh, I don't mind." she gave me a wicked grin "I've seen him on t.v. too."

I rolled my eyes and grabbed a cup of coffee, then started toward the door.

This was definitely going to be interesting.

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I got to Jack's house a few minutes later and stood outside his front door with my hand raised to knock. I took a deep breathe and moved closer. As much as I wanted Jack to come with me, I was just as scared of what I would find when that front door opened.

I didn't have the chance to work up the nerve to open the door, because Jack opened it himself. We both stepped back in surprise.

"Hey Kate... I didn't think you'd be here for another hour." he said, glancing at my car.

"I left a message on your phone." I said and he smiled and laughed softly. "My phone hasn't worked for months."

We stood quietly for a few minutes, just watching each other. Jack had changed a lot in the past few days, though not in the obvious way you would think. His beard was gone and for the first time since we met he was clean shaven. He looked pale and exhausted from two days of withdrawal. But the one thing that I noticed immediately was the difference in his eyes. Before, his eyes were glazed over by drugs and pain, but now they were bright and sparkling and they held actual emotion, in contrast to the blank slate he was two days ago.

"I'll go get my bags." Jack said, ducking back into the house and holding the door open for me.

He disappeared into a room on the left and emerged with two large suitcases.

"You pack lightly." I said, smiling "If that were me I'd be carrying ten of those."

He laughed and I reached over to grab one. Then we walked out the front door and over to my car.

"You can throw that in the trunk." I called to Jack, throwing the suitcase that I was holding into the backseat.

I heard the snap of the trunk closing and when I straightened up Jack was standing to my left.

"Guess we're ready to go." I said.

Jack nodded and started toward the passenger door, but I wrapped my hand around his wrist to stop him. He turned back towards me and I smiled and said softly "I'm glad you're back, Jack."

He didn't say anything, but I could tell from his eyes that this was exactly what he needed to hear.

He turned and got into the passenger side, while I slid into the driver's seat and took off down the road.

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We got to the house a few minutes later and pulled into the driveway. Jack reached for the handle, but I clicked the lock down. He glanced over at me in confusion.

"There's something I should probably tell you before we go inside." I said, wonder how he'd react to the new developments. "First of all, Sawyer has a kid... and the mother, Cassy, is here and staying for a few days."

He looked up with his eyebrows raised. "And you want her to?"

"Let's just say both Sawyer and I have very complicated histories with Cassy."

He gave me a curious look, but knew better than to ask.

" I don't mind" he said shrugging and reaching for the suitcase in the backseat. I jumped out of the car and grabbed the other piece of luggage from the trunk.

Then we both walked up the steps and ducked through the doorway, into our own mini version of Big Brother.

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Yeah, I know this is short, but it was really boring to write (and will probably be boring to read) but Kate had to go through the dull process of getting Jack, he couldn't just wake up at her house.

Anyway, if I get 10 or more reviews this will be updated by Thursday(I will be gone Tuesday and Wednesday, sorry)

The next chapter is a lot more interesting... (and my favorite so far)


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